At Teen camp 08 this year we were given the challenge to accomplish what I believe is an important goal. We were given several verses to memorize and we had to write and essay on what we learned during our week of camp and how we were going to apply it to our life. If we completed that goal we were given a free t-shirt and we got the spirit award. On the t-shirt is an outline of a foot with an arrow pointing to the pinkie toe saying “I’m the happy pinkie toe” (with a verse referencing to us all being apart of the same body) on the back of the t-shirt it shows Jesus carrying the cross and says “Take up your cross and carry it”……At first when I read that I was like wow that’s cool and thought about my daily fight for Him and was then challenged to developed a closer more intimate relationship with my Savior so I could better counter the devils forces against me and others.
About a month passed and I was talking with my dad about some different experiences I had while I was at camp and he brought up Luke 9:23-27, where it talks about denying yourself and taking up your cross daily to fallow Jesus. He asked me…”What does that mean?” That was the second time that had been brought to my attention and was reminded of my commitment to the commitment I have made to God. Two weeks ago at church my pastor was talking about what it would take for Jesus to mean everything to us…to mean more then sports, hobbies, sex, addictions….ourselves….etc….He then referenced Luke 9:23-27 and it hit me a third time. He asked us what it would take for us to pick up our cross and “>Daily<” carry it. This time it went in one ear and stuck to something…..and has been challenging me to think more about it. So I think that maybe I should look at this and see what I can get out of it and maybe through my thoughts you will get something out of it as well. So follow along with me in this journey of thought and truth. And all the time ask your self…”What would it take?”
- Sky
-Taking up your cross-
“Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”
– Luke 9:23-27
This verse is so challenging and every time I read it something different jumps out at me. To give up my ideals of how things should go, to give up my hopes and dreams for His, to give up my life, to give up my living breathing body and soul for Him…..to DENY myself and my ways and go through anything and everything, even to death all for Christ Jesus! It blows me away! Do you see how huge this is? This is monumental! Our call is to not just go around labeled as Christians doing all the little things, but to actually stand up and lead the charge for Jesus and live out His example for us. NOT living out the worldly examples, NOT living inside our comfort zone, NOT picking up our cross on the days we feel good. Instead. dedicating ourselves to creating a more intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior. So that we can have such an amazing connection with our creator that we are able to stand up with the joy that we find in our suffering and go through the most brutal rejection, the loneliest days, the most painful losses, the merciless criticism and slander that we receive from the world AND come through it all with the satisfaction of glorifying God. This is more then just picking up a log and putting it on our back. This is about the true essence of living for Jesus, this is about reflecting Jesus’ example of perfect love and perfect truth because that’s who He was. He was love and truth and the true light in our darkness.
“What would it take to live like that”?
So what is Jesus talking about here when He says we must “take up our cross” ? The picture this creates is someone, condemned to death, required to carry the beam of his own cross to the chosen location of where he is to be executed. By taking up “our own cross” to live for Jesus signifies our willingness to suffer and die for Jesus. By taking “up our cross” we take up the amazing role of defending the most important thing above all else. The truth that Jesus is the son of God and was crucified so that we could be free of our mistakes, our mess ups, our failures, our bad attitudes, our speech, our thoughts, our actions, everything! To me the amount of love and sacrifice Jesus had for me, someone who continually messes up, makes me afraid of what He can do! If He can conquer death and free me of my sins through His death….what can’t He do? NOTHING! And by taking up our cross we are fighting to acknowledge the truth of that. What He did for us and all that He can do. It proves how important our faith is, by going through everything to stand up for Jesus.
Taking up our cross is having the willingness to fully commit to Gods plan for us. It’s going through everything, even death, to stick up for our savior. It’s having the love and compassion to be selfless and serve others with out flinching. It’s being devoted to the narrow path. It’s being devoted to Christ and being fearless when defeneding Him. It’s about loving your nieghbor as yourself and seeking out the opportunities to fight for the truth, the hope and the love Jesus showed us when He picked up His cross for us!
“What would it take for us to pick up our cross?”
Our faith is a daily sacrifice and commitment to Jesus and though it is very challenging is very rewarding. How do we create the right attitude to suffer for Jesus? 1 Peter 4:12-19 says…
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And,
”If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”
What an amazing verse, we should not only pick up our cross daily, but we should do so with a joyful spirit and rejoice when we suffer for Jesus Christ! How amazing to have a joy and satisfaction, when your are suffering, that it is all worth it to see God’s Glory and to have His love and grace poured out on to you. How do we have that, how do we experience such joy when suffering? I think there is a difference between joy and happiness. When you are happy it is most often an expressed emotion. I think of joy more like a feeling a deep satisfaction of doing something. I think that even though we may not be happy in our times of suffering we can be joyful in doing it, and have a deep satisfaction knowing that it’s all for God.
How do we create this joy though? What is it about suffering for God that we should be joyful about? EVERYTHING…..Jesus was God in human flesh. He was the light that came down into our darkness and set us free from the sins that had captivated us. He provided the ultimate sacrifice for our lives so we could be free. He was Love and loved us with a perfect love. To experience such love is to know Jesus Christ as our Savior. And what makes it worth suffering for is knowing that we are loved that much and that Jesus went through more then we can imagine to save us. So why can’t we do more then expected to aknowledge that?
“What would it take to have joy in our suffering?”
“But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
1 Timothy 6:11-12
Jesus was beaten, flogged, spat upon, cursed, speared, and then hung on a cross to suffocate…….and die for us. Are we willing to go do the same and “fight the good fight” for Him? Are we willing to give up our job for His ideals? Are we willing to move to the other side of planet Earth to fulfill His will for us? Are we willing to give up hobbies, interests, goals and dreams all for God’s plan? Are we willing to take our hand and give it to God and let Him lead? Are we willing to live according to what we know is right rather then what we think feels good? Are we willing to lose it all and remain faithful? Are we willing to give until it hurts and more? Are we willing to die for Him and for others? Are we willing? ARE WE WILLING?……Are we REALLY……willing?
“How much are we willing to give?”
To have the willingness to give all of who we are for God signifys our willingness to face this world and fight against anything that stands in our way of bringing God Glory. To have this quality of assurance and determination means that we don’t fear what the world can do to us. For what can the world do to us when God is on our side….NOTHING!
Psalms 118:6-7 “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me; He is my helper. I will look in triumph over my enimies.”
I think it’s really easy to talk about this, to encourage others to do this, and even sit down and write this post to you guys or for you to be reading it…..that part to me is easy compared to actually doing it. That’s when it comes down to this question for ourselves….Am I willing?
Are you?
Please take a moment to open up your bible right now, or make a note to yourself to read it later this week, and read Psalm 34. Take your time and really understand it. It is such an amzing Psalm and it’s really encouraging. My challenge for us is to remember to give it all to God and to remind ourselves daily that our life is in His hands. We need to be warriors at the ready, willing to fallow through and obey. Willing to take our cross over any terrain that the narrow path brings and keep a steady pase walking in the light.
The Lord is so faithful and He is always there. Let us take up our cross together and have joy in our suffering!
God Bless,
- Skylar Ogren